How To Thrift Online – My Top Tips

Hunting through the racks of your local thrift & charity shops for hidden second hand treasures is marvelous but have you ever thought of thrifting online?

The same thrill of discovery and groovy prices scored while lounging in PJs from the comfort of your own home is a pretty awesome way to spend a lazy afternoon hibernating from these last frozen days of winter.

And so I present my How-to and Top Tips for Online Thrifting Trips:

I’m using the most well-known online marketplace for my example but these tips can be tweaked & tailored for just about any internet shopping platform…

Step 1: Login & select the category you’re interested in browsing.

My fave is, of course, Clothing & Accessories…

Step 2: Ignore all of the subcategories & head down to the “Show Only” option & click “See All”

Step 3: Choose your filters – my standard selections are:

Price: Be budget conscious & set the maximum you would be willing & are able to spend on an individual item – keeping in mind that shipping costs will be added to the end price.

Offer Format: Select “Auction”

Item Location: Select the country where you reside or where your purchase(s) will be shipped to.
Yes, there might be an amazing find from elsewhere in the world but the headache of shipping time, international postage costs, possible import duties & taxes and potential disappointment when the item isn’t what you were expecting is simply not worth the risk when thrifting online…Unless you’re searching for something specific that you know can’t be reasonably found in your country.

Show Only: “Paypal Accepted” – I choose to view items that accept paypal, even though their system isn’t perfect it does offer more buyer protection than a bank transfer + I can pay instantly which (hopefully) means my purchase will be shipped quicker.

Step 4: Get your thrifty scrolling on! Not selecting any subcategories means that you can browse through ALL of the items up for grabs in the general category you chose – just like being in a “brick & mortar” thrift store…and by setting that maximum price limit you know that everything you see you can actually afford + you won’t be tempted to break your budget!

Granted, not everything will be to your taste & style but nothing beats discovering, bidding and winning that diamond in the rough for a bargain price!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hi!
Thank you for this post.
However, it would help more if you had taken pictures from the e-bay in English… I don’t know German and would like to see what is showing in the pictures… Even that you had explain, I still have doubts…
kisses from Portugal!

I provided the English translations (in bold) of each of the circled areas on what appears on my ebay screen in Germany below each of the photos in the post. Ebay sites are not all identical and appear differently and in the language of each country they are viewed from. I created this post as a helpful yet basic guide for those wanting to get started thrifting online. As I live in Germany the ebay site I am most familiar with and use the most frequently is in German.

I’m a bit wary about buying beauty products from ebay as there’s so many tales of frauds & fakes. With my sensitive skin I’ve gotta stay pretty loyal to the products that work for me (none of which are frou frou shi shi designer brands) & as most of them are readily available for reasonable prices at my local drugstore I don’t really need to try & find a better deal online 😉

Great post! I did a similar one on my blog (https://pauperintoprincess.wordpress.com/thrift-tips/). I also like to sort by ‘ending soonest’ once I’ve set a price limit as then you avoid getting drawn into something thats £1 because it’s only just started. Stops me getting addicted to bidding wars! haha. Love your site – keep up the great work 😀

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Sheri Pavlović is the award winning DIY diva and author behind the book series, channel & blog Confessions of a Refashionista, the fabulously crafty corner of the internet packed with step-by-step upcycling tutorials for everything from groovy clothing & accessories to funky home decor + a healthy dose of thrifty style inspiration!

This quirky Canadian creator is an avid upcycler who lived a most extraordinary existence in North America, Japan, England, Greece and Germany before finally settling in Toronto after over 20 years spent living & working abroad in DIY, Fashion, Publishing, Education & Entertainment industries .

Her personal definition of a Refashionista? A kick ass DIY eco-fashion upcycling warrior who firmly believes that fabulous, affordable, unique style can be achieved by anyone without supporting the growing phenomenon of cheap, unethically produced “fast fashion”.

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